


October 2019 Fest

by mansikka



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Attempted robbery, Established Relationship, Fluff, Goodbyes, M/M, October Prompt Challenge, Protective Alex Manes, Protective Michael, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-10-17 20:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20627177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mansikka/pseuds/mansikka
Summary: Ficlets for the various fests going on in October.1st: Flufftober (Dancing - not fluff though!) - The Hateful Sky1st: Whumptober (shaky hands - not whump though!) - Home5th: Whumptober (gun point - not whump though!) - When Grocery Shopping9th: Whumptober (shackled - not whump though!) - Shackled13th: Flufftober (popcorn) - Popcorn15th: Whumptober (scars - not whump though!) - Different17th: Whumptober (”stay with me” - not whump though!) - Forever In The MakingPosting separately19th: Tentacletober (protective tentacles) - Advanced Noodling; multichapter31st: Cowboys and Aliens





	1. The Hateful Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Here are a few ficlets for the various fests going on in October, namely Flufftober, Whumptober, and Tentacletober. I'm splitting these into four separate works for the four ships I write for, and for longer oneshot pieces they'll be posted as separate fic. As I'm sure everyone else has done, all these prompts have been used as a guide only; I have Whumptobers that are mostly fluff and Flufftobers that are pretty sad. And there's smut thrown in there for some of them too; hurray! I'll tag and warn as appropriate as I post; happy October!
> 
> Prompts put together/arranged by (on Tumblr):
> 
> Flufftober - @giucorreias
> 
> Whumptober - @whumptober2019/ @la-vie-en-whump
> 
> Tentacletober - @lynne-monstr

Why is he crying? They've said goodbye so many times over, meaning it for every one. Though perhaps the finality of this moment is the thing that's stealing the air from Alex's lungs. The cold desert air is screaming with its silence. The clear open sky pitted with stars that will surely light Michael's way. 

He's leaving him. Maybe this is what is breaking Alex more than anything, that it is Michael leaving _him_ this time. Because whenever they have parted in the past it has only been for _him_ to go overseas. The threat of death has always hung over him, but so has the promise of coming home.

Michael is going home. His ship is a beautiful, pristine craft lovingly restored, taunting Alex with its presence out the corner of his eye as they are dancing. Dancing, here in the middle of the New Mexico desert under the perfectly clear sky. Alex has never hated good weather so much in his life.

He'll cherish this moment, relive the warmth of Michael's embrace as he holds him, catalog the feel of his stubble against his cheek as Michael kisses him goodbye. So that when he is old, looking up at that hateful, perfect starry sky overhead, he can remember _this_. That Michael once held him, and loved him, and shuddered at his touch for the thought of leaving him behind.

But he will. And now he has. Alex stares up at Michael's ship as it shrinks in his vision, watching the only person he will ever love become nothing more than a pinprick in the sky.


	2. Home

Alex was finally here. He was here, home, safe; at least for a little while. Michael raised up on tiptoe to look out from the crowd formed for the welcome home parade, pride and excitement making him bounce on the balls of his feet. Alex was _here_. He'd be with him _soon_. If he had anything to do with it, Michael would never let him go again.

He could see him; turning his head this way and that seeking _him_ out. Michael bounced higher, extending his arm straight up and frantically waving to catch his attention. Who cared if someone saw, caught his softer demeanor? For Alex, he'd do or be just about anything. The moment Alex's gaze latched on to him Michael was grounded, and whole again, like he hadn't last been since before Alex deployed. This tour had been too _long_.

Alex pushed through the other soldiers passing to get to him, his face already set into the most beautiful, loving smile. Michael took his own turn with _excuse me_s and _sorry_s to close the gap between him ignoring the bustle of those around him, finally having Alex within the grasp of his trembling, shaking hands.


	3. When Grocery Shopping

Alex can feel Michael's amusement where he's stood next to him, can almost hear him thinking, _oh, this is going to be fun_. It's not every day he walks into a grocery store to find himself being held at gunpoint, though it's also not even a first. His instinct is to _protect_ Michael, and everyone else around them. That Michael feels no fear at all should at least make him exasperated, but Alex only shares his amusement. This would-be robber really has no clue.

"Everything from the register. _Now_," yells the guy training a gun on them, his words muffled through the mask he's wearing, though clear enough for the cashier to frantically begin doing as asked. Alex looks their way trying to offer some reassurance when they look back at him, but only sees terror in their eyes.

Alex takes in his surroundings, strategizes for exit points and how steady the guy's aim is for when he lunges out to grab the gun from his grasp. His arm is shaking; Alex takes it as a sign that this is the man's first robbery. But although he doesn't know his circumstances, nor why he's chosen here to rob, Alex can feel no sympathy for him. No one should be made to fear for their lives.

"You don't need to do this," Michael says in that tone of his that suggests to anyone but Alex that he is bored. Alex can hear the preparation in his words, feel the tension in them as he too plans to strike. Perhaps it's just a question of who gets there first.

At the curses hurled in his direction, Michael first holds his hands up then presses them against his chest like he's offended. There is a popping sound that Alex knows without having to check means Michael has taken out the store's security camera. A locking sound behind them signals that Michael has closed and locked the door, and the eyes cut out of the mask their robber is wearing show they are almost out on stalks. His grasp on the gun is slipping for how sweaty his hands are, altering his grip and gesticulating with the gun to keep them from moving. Alex has the urge to point out that he is holding the gun _wrong_.

"We gonna end this, then?" Michael says with a lazy yawn, scratching at his stomach as though they are anywhere but here. The man's eyes dart between them so quickly it's almost comical. Though then they are rolling into the back of his head, just before he slumps to the ground.

"Chickpeas," Michael says as he picks up the can he's obviously launched at the back of the man's head with his thoughts, _borrowed_ from one of the grocery store's shelves. "You feel like hummus tonight, Alex? I'm in the mood for something _Moroccan_. Or Mediterranean; I can never remember where it's supposed to be from."

"Sure," Alex replies not remembering either, turning the guy over on to his front and securing his arms in a grip behind his back.

"Hey. Max. Got a present for you," Michael says once he's raised his phone to his ear, walking over to the counter as he gives him the details then quietly helping the cashier return the money to the register. He grabs her gently by the shoulders and encourages her to sit on the counter edge, ripping open a bar of candy and pressing it into her hands. "For the shock."

Alex _knows_, without having to ask, the gleeful look on Michael's face is for his joy that _he's_ delivering someone for Max's cells instead of being in them himself this time. Not that he has been for a while.

"Can we not even go grocery shopping without trouble?" Alex protests as Michael prowls back towards him with a zip tie that he slips over the would-be robber's wrists and fastens.

"Apparently not," he replies as he helps Alex haul the man to his feet, leaning in for a quick kiss as they wait for Max to arrive.


	4. Shackled

"You realize this means the end of all that independence of yours," Max says, his words slightly slurred for how many beers they are in to the evening now.

Michael raises his bottle in acknowledgment. "I do. And I can't _wait_."

"Well, I for one, never thought I'd see the day when Michael would be _shackled_ to anyone," Isobel says, raising her glass in toast. "But I'm happy for you. Happy suits you, Michael. You deserve it all."

"I think as Alex's best man, I have to object to the use of the word _shackled_," Kyle says as he and Alex return from the bar. Alex tucks back into Michael's side and claims a kiss, smiling against his mouth.

"And I think as Alex's _groom_, I'm allowed to say how happy I am _to_ be shackled. In any damn way he likes," Michael retorts. Alex laughs as he tucks his face into his neck, and the dirty minds of their friends sends up a roar of approval around them that's enough to make several other people in the Wild Pony turn their heads.

Michael doesn't care. In less than eighteen hours from now, he and Alex will be marrying. Max is officiating the wedding that Isobel has planned for them down to the finest detail. There is a party back here tomorrow night so they can keep celebrating. He and Alex have a hotel room booked for the evening and are setting off at dawn the following morning for a honeymoon that neither of them can wait to be on.

"I love you," Alex whispers as the attention of their group is taken by yet another round of shots. 

Michael tilts his head to observe him, to luxuriate in the knowledge that, as of tomorrow, Alex will always be his. "Well. I love you too, Alex."


	5. Popcorn

Alex can hear the popcorn popping in the kitchen. And though the lights are off, the flicker of the TV screen across their faces highlights how Michael is smiling. Alex goes back to watching the movie, jolting when there is a loud crash. Michael already has his arm around him so only squeezes Alex tighter, absently kissing the side of his head.

More noises catch Alex's attention from Max's kitchen. No one else seems particularly bothered by it. Liz is sprawled out in Max's lap, while Isobel is draped over an armchair, both completely unfazed. It's Alex who notices the bowl drifting towards them, and Alex who snorts when it gently drops on the table in front of him.

"This is for _your_ benefit," Isobel says sounding completely unimpressed as she swivels round and immediately leans forward for a handful of popcorn. "They're showing off for _you_."

Michael smiles another kiss to Alex's temple, still not taking his eyes from the screen.

"The two of you used your powers, first to make popcorn, then, to bring it in here?" Liz says in disbelief as she sits up, already helping herself. "Guys. There are _so_ many other things you could be doing with it. _So_ many good things. Although this does taste pretty good."

"Damn right it does," Michael agrees, pulling the bowl into his lap and tilting it for Alex to take his fill. He winks when Alex looks, continuing to smile as he sends the bowl lazily drifting through the air across the room, straight into Max's grip.


	6. Different

Alex kneels back up resting his hands on this thighs, wiping his eyes as Michael gets his breath back. When Michael has recovered, backhanded the tears from his cheeks and cleared his throat he looks up and reaches out, smoothing his hand up Alex's chest.

"Were you always this ticklish?" Alex asks as he strokes up Michael's legs splayed either side of him. "I don't think you were. And I should know."

"No. I wasn't," Michael says, with that laugh that is half a scoff and half the most adorable sound Alex thinks he's ever heard. "But things are different now."

Alex grins, pitching forward suddenly bracing his hands against the bed, leaning down to steal a kiss. "I don't think so."

"Oh. They _are_."

"How? I must have kissed every single scar on your body a hundred times over now."

"You been counting, Alex?" Michael says, mirth making his eyes crinkle up.

"It's possible."

"It's still _different_. No matter how many times," Michael says, kissing Alex's thumb when he swipes it over his lips.

"How is it any different this time?"

Michael grins, reaching up to run his thumb over the hair growing on Alex's chin. He has no need to shave every day anymore, and Michael _loves_ playing with his stubble. Alex is half-tempted to grow a beard just to see his reaction. "This. _This_ is different. It actually _tickles_."

"Oh, really?" Alex says, dropping without warning and stirring his chin over his nipple making Michael shrink back into the bed but also cup the back of his head. What is he supposed to do with that?

"Really," Michael agrees, his legs jolting out when Alex moves yet again and blows a raspberry on his stomach.


	7. Forever In The Making

"Stay with me."

Alex pauses from dressing and sits down on the edge of the bed, jostling Michael since the gap he's left him is so small. "I need to get to work."

Michael's eyes are barely open but his disappointment is written all over his body, sagging even as he reaches out for Alex's hand. "Okay."

"I _do_," Alex insists as he leans down over him, pushing hair back from his face. "Sooner I get in, sooner I get off."

"Well I can help you with that _now_," Michael tells him, slipping his hand between Alex's legs. A part of him is tempted to let him do exactly what he's intending. But Alex has plans for today that involve him leaving work on time. Plans that involve Michael and surprises and a whole bunch of their friends.

Alex itches to check his phone to make sure all the arrangements are in place, though knows Isobel already has everything under control. She vibrates with excitement every time he sees her, either teary-eyed or dragging him into a hug. If there is any kind of bet on who is going to cry first at his and Michael's _wedding_, Alex wants the odds.

Though in order for there to be a wedding, there has to be a proposal first. Which is why he needs to get work over and done with, and do the few final things Isobel will let him prepare.

"I'll be back around five," Alex whispers against Michael's temple, giving a quick glance over the bed as he stands. How Michael always seems to find the very edge of the bed the second _he_ gets out of it, he doesn't know. But Alex tucks him back beneath the comforter and presses a kiss to his forehead, hoping he'll go back to sleep.

"I should be done around six."

"Then, maybe I'll have dinner waiting."

"_No_," Michael says, waking up in alarm with his eyes wide, "it's fine. Let's go out."

Alex reins in his laughter both for his plan already working, and Michael's over-the-top protest at his inability to cook.

"_Fine_," he says, leaning for a final kiss, "but you're buying."

"'K. See you tonight," Michael says already closing his eyes.

Alex watches him from the bedroom doorway. The restaurant is booked, the ring stashed at Isobel's, his clothes for the evening passing Isobel's approval and hung in waiting in the back of his closet. Max is going to call Michael this afternoon to suggest a family dinner so they can all be there. Everyone they know and love will be, actually. It's important to Alex that not only does Michael know _he_ loves him, but that everyone around them loves the idea of him being happy. All of them being witness to a proposal that feels like it's been forever in the making is the very best proof of that. Alex really can't wait for tonight.


End file.
